


5 Ways

by NGO



Category: Not Going Out (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-07-22 18:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7449643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NGO/pseuds/NGO
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5 ways Lee and Lucy could have got together, and one way they actually did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gangster (Series 2, Episode 7)

**Author's Note:**

> 5 ways Lee and Lucy could have got together, and one way they actually did.
> 
> The format of this will be five ways it could have happened (throughout series 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) and how they actually get together (in my mind, anyway) in series 7. I was undecided whether or not to make this a multi-chapter story but ended up deciding that it should be.
> 
> The chapters will basically be extensions of episodes, so there will be a lot of familiar dialogue, although I will be tweaking it slightly.
> 
> In this chapter, I skimmed over the part where Lee/Tim confront Guy about the diamonds as I wanted to begin with Lee’s speech about Lucy being an independent woman etc.
> 
> Please let me know what you think. But for now, enjoy!

_It could have happened like this…_

Lee and Tim had tracked Lucy and Guy to the airport with little time to spare. By the time they finally made it, Guy was holding Lucy by the arm, desperately trying to steer her towards the check-in area. That was until Lee and Tim came to stand directly in front of him, blocking the way. 

Guy looked incredulous. Lucy looked confused and a little irritated. 

Guy looked even more incredulous and Lucy looked even more confused and irritated when Lee and Tim explained what they thought Guy was doing. Diamond smuggling!? Lucy thought they were crazy but couldn’t help feel a little relieved that her brother and flat-mate had stepped in when they had. Things were moving a little too fast for her liking, and Guy wasn’t an easy person to try to slow down. At least now she’d have time to talk to Guy, they’d probably missed their plane now anyway. She breathed a sigh of relief, already running through what she’d say to her controlling man in her head. 

The relief didn’t last long though, as Guy got down on one knee. 

At first she didn’t get what was happening, thought the gaudy ring was just another extravagant gift but one glance to the side at Lee and Tim’s shocked faces told her everything she needed to know. He was _proposing_!?

“Will you marry me?” Guy asked confidently. In his mind there was no doubt that Lucy would say yes.

For a split second there was silence, until Lucy became aware of the scuffle taking place beside her. It seemed Tim was trying to drag Lee away from the scene, give her a bit of privacy, but Lee wasn’t having any of it. He pulled his arm free from Tim’s hold.

“Hang on!” He snapped.

Lucy looked at him questioningly. He seemed genuinely distressed.

“Alright, maybe he’s not a gangster, but he’s still not right for you, Lucy. You’re an independent woman with independent thoughts; you don’t need some man making decisions for you.”

She stared at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. Lee hadn’t even been living with her for a year yet, but he already seemed to understand her more than any man she’d been with in the past. He acted all tough and macho around the flat but over the months he must have been paying more attention to her than he’d been letting on to sum her up so perfectly. 

They stared at each other in silence, seeming to forget that Tim and Guy were there for a few seconds, and neither Lee nor Lucy knew what to say.

That was until Lee opened his mouth and the moment was over. “So tell him you’ll say no!”

Tim rolled his eyes, having had enough of Lee’s antics for one day, and succeeded in pulling him away.  
-  
Night falls, and Lee still doesn’t move from his position on the sofa, head in his hands. He’d sent Barbara home a couple of minutes ago so when he hears someone come through the door, he isn’t surprised. Barbara was always forgetting something or other and having to come back to collect it. He doesn’t even raise his head when he hears the door close behind whoever just came in.

“Forget your duster? You wanna keep that as a down payment on the breakages.” The quip comes out harsher than he intended it to, but he’s too upset to put any of the usual humour in his voice.

“Hello.” She breathes sadly.

Lee’s head whips around to face the door, because that wasn’t the voice he was expecting. Lucy stands there, bags scattered on the floor around her, looking like she’s trying hard not to cry.

“What are you doing here? Thought you’d be in Sicily.” For some reason he can’t stop staring at her as she comes to sit on the sofa beside him. 

“You know what those budget airlines are like. They took a wrong turning and I ended up in the corridor.” Lucy replies, trying to make light of the situation but failing to hide the tremble in her voice.

When she turns to face him there are tears in her eyes and Lee feels a stab of _something_ in his chest. He feels like punching the living daylights out of Guy for making Lucy so upset. He’d never make Lucy feel like that if he was with her. _‘But you’re not.’_ Says a little voice at the back of his mind.

“What happened?” Lee asks softly, not wanting to pressure her into talking about.

Lucy stays silent and stares down at her hands, not trusting herself to speak in case she starts crying. 

“Wanna talk about it?” He asks in an almost-whisper.

She shakes her head as tears begin to pool in her eyes again.

“Sure?” He tries one last time.

Lucy sighs, fidgeting with her hands to try and distract herself. “I said no.”

Lee looks unsure, wondering if she means no to _him_ or if she said no to Guy. He sincerely hopes it’s the second option. 

“Sorry do you mean to me just then or-“ He asks.

“To Guy.” Lucy clarifies. 

Lee looks at Lucy, trying to figure out what to say next. “Why?”

She turns to face him. May as well tell him the full story now instead of dragging it out. 

“He was too controlling. Said he wanted to take care of me. He’s gone to Sicily on his own… it’s over.” She starts crying then, because even though Guy was a bit of an arsehole, she’d been going out with him for quite some time. 

“Don’t do that.” Lee instinctively reaches out to put an arm around her and even though it’s a little awkward at first, Lucy soon relaxes into him. He moves his hand gently up and down her arm, wanting nothing more than for her to stop crying.

“Is there anything I can do?” He asks, still holding her against him.

She turns toward him, their faces closer than innocent flat mates should be. 

“There is actually. You know how some nights you just need to be with someone, to talk to them and to hold them… Will you stay with me tonight?” She whispers. 

He nods, his other hand finding its way to her waist and when instead of stopping him, her own hand comes up to cup his cheek, he says “I’ll stay with you for as many nights as you’ll have me.”

And it’s so unlike anything she’s ever heard Lee say, she’s not surprised when she closes her eyes and kisses him. One of his hands moves up to tangle in her hair and things soon get heated, the only sounds of the traffic outside and their frantic breaths. 

“Are you sure?” Lee pants between kisses.

Lucy just nods, grabbing a hold of his shirt collar and pulling him down on top of her.


	2. Party (Series 3, Episode 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second chapter is here!
> 
> As usual, tell me if you liked/didn’t like. The first two parts are just more detailed scenes of the episode; the third part is where I added my own bit. I know this story doesn’t go into as much detail as my one-shots do but I wanted to make this similar to the structure of an actual sitcom. I’m a little rusty about what happens in this episode and how the party comes about it the first place as I haven’t watched it in a while and only watched scenes I needed to get the lines but I tried my best.
> 
> Enjoy!

#2 – Party (Series 3, Episode 4)

_It could have happened like this…_

It hadn’t been too difficult to organise a surprise birthday party for Lucy. Just invite a few people (all happily married, of course), order in some booze and make sure Tim had minimal involvement in the entertainment. Done. 

Except, of course, by the time the party was due to take place, it wasn’t a surprise at all. Lee had no one to blame but himself, though. That’d teach him for trying to lie his way out of tricky situations. Lucy had found out all about the ‘party’ and had /conveniently/ decided not to go away for her big 3-0 after all. 

She walked into the kitchen, standing across from Lee who was leaning against the kitchen counter winding Barbara up. Nothing out of the ordinary there. 

She picked up the scrap of paper resting on the counter in front of Barbara.

“This my guest list?” Lucy asked as she scanned the hastily written names on the paper.

“Some surprise party this is turning out to be.” Lee huffed. 

Although he’d made it all up at the beginning, he still wanted to prove himself to Lucy and make this party a success.

“Least the chocolate fountain will still be a surpr- oops!” Barbara pressed her lips together, eyes wide, when she realised what she’d said.

However, Lucy didn’t seem to care about the chocolate fountain and she frowned as she realised what all these names on the guest list had in common.

“These people are all married with kids!” Lucy sighed. “This is the exact reason I wanted to go away in the first place. I’m gonna be the only person there without a partner.”

She looked genuinely hurt and Lee suddenly felt guilty for his meddling. He hated to see Lucy so upset.

“You’ve still got a boyfriend, he’s just not coming.” Lee consoled.

Lucy looked a little embarrassed, staring down at the paper in front of her. “Look, I haven’t got a boyfriend alright. I never actually said that I did.”

“Yes you did.” Lee replied while taking a moment to question the excitement and relief rushing through his mind. _Lucy didn’t have a boyfriend!?_

“No, I didn’t, you said that. I just… didn’t deny it.” She admitted.

“That’s the same thing!” Lee exclaimed. “Anyway, you won’t be the only single person at this party.” Lee added, looking pointedly at Lucy.

She continued scanning the guest list absentmindedly. “Yes I will.”

“No you won’t. I’m a single man.” Lee said awkwardly.

He’d realised a long time ago that he’d have to spell things out to have a chance at getting anywhere with Lucy. Problem was he wasn’t the kind of man that liked spelling things out. He was more an avoid-the-situation type of guy.

Lucy finally looked up at him, an amused glint in her eye. “Well that’s not completely true.” She said.

“I haven’t got a girlfriend.” Lee frowned, confused.

“I meant the man bit.” Lucy teased, laughing. At least she seemed to have cheered up slightly.

Lee smirked back, eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to deliver his immense come-back. 

Barbara cleared her throat, Lee and Lucy turning reluctantly to face her. Truth be told, they’d forgotten she was there.

It was effortless the way they seemed to get swept up in their own little bubble. Always had been.

-

Lee scanned the dimly lit pub, his eyes settling on Lucy who was sitting at his usual spot at the bar. The party was due to start in half an hour so Lee had made himself scarce from the flat, leaving the finishing touches to the others. 

He kept his eyes fixed firmly on Lucy as he approached. He’d be kidding himself if he said his eyes hadn’t been almost-permanently fixed on her since they’d started living together. She was gorgeous, clever, funny. Anybody else would have made a move by now, he often told himself. But he wasn’t anybody else and besides, it wasn’t just that he fancied Lucy, there was something more but at the moment Lee was too scared to examine what that something more was.

Still, it didn’t stop their flirtatious back-and-forth.

“Hello saucy.” He greeted as he sat down on the stool next to her. 

“It’s not too revealing is it?” Lucy asked, patting down the hem of her dress.

“No I mean you smell like gravy.” Lee joked.

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that came soon after. As infuriating as he was sometimes, he could be quite funny. 

“I wouldn’t expect a man like you to recognise the faint aroma of Chanel Number 5.” She retorted, trying to keep a straight face. 

The straight face mission soon fails when Lee leaned in and inhaled dramatically. “Ah, Bisto.”

“Alright, how about this for a chat up line… Are you an electrician?” Lee began.

“Ooh perfect. Take me now, Mr. Darcy.” Lucy replied, used to his ‘chat up lines’ by now.

“’Cause when I saw you from across the room, you gave off a certain spark that sent a current racing through my body.” He finished, adding a wink for extra effect.

“Nice.” Lucy laughed. “Are you a fish monger?”

“Why?” Lee puffed out his chest, ready for the compliment that was sure to follow.

“’Cause you stink.” She replied flatly, before breaking into a smile.

Funny how she seemed to smile the most whenever she was around Lee.

“Well look on the bright side, with your Aunt Flossy and Uncle Singeon going we still won’t be the smelliest couple at the party.” Lee said.

“Couple?” Lucy asked hesitantly. Maybe it was just a harmless slip of the tongue? Maybe she was just overreacting picking out the word like that?

“Well, not a couple obviously. I just thought seeing as we’re gonna be the only single people there we could just sort of hang out together.” Lee clarified. 

Lucy sighed, looking down at the sticky table because she didn't want to see that look of disappointment on his face when she told him. If he’d have just _said_ from the beginning that was the idea, she’d have been more than happy to go to the party with him. They always seemed to be dancing around each other, never daring to take that leap, which is what created most of their misunderstandings in the first place. 

“Actually I’m not going on my own; I’m taking someone I know through work.” She sighed.

And she just wished more than anything that this stupid party didn’t exist and that she could sit here at the bar all night swapping crap chat up lines with Lee.

Problem was, she didn't know he was thinking the exact same thing.

-

The party hadn’t exactly been a success and both Lee and Lucy were more than relieved when the last guest had gone home and the night had eventually drawn to a close.

“Maybe we should tidy up a bit.” Lucy said as she noticed Lee coming in from the kitchen, two glasses in hand.

“Oh, don’t worry; Barbara’s doing a couple of hours tomorrow. We’ll tidy up after she’s gone.” Lee replied, settling down on the sofa with Lucy and handing her a glass.

“Thanks.” Lucy said, after a moment of comfortable silence.

“What for?” He asks as he turns to face her.

“For pouring warm chocolate down my fake boyfriend’s trousers.” She smiled.

“It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last.” Lee promised seriously.

Lucy finds herself thinking that with Lee, that statement might not be entirely a lie. You just never knew with him. It was actually one of the things she liked about him, if she was being honest with herself. 

_Liked about him!?_ Where had that come from, she thought to herself.

“You know all things considered this hasn’t been the worst night of my entire life. I’m glad I didn’t go to Venice. Here’s to Tim, this surprise party was a pretty good idea.” She admitted. 

If it wasn’t for the party, they wouldn’t be sat here now, so it hadn’t been a complete disaster after all.

“Actually, it wasn’t Tim’s idea. It was mine.” Lee said quietly.

“What d’you mean?” Lucy asked, an annoyed tone creeping into her voice.

“You’re gunna laugh at this. When I was on your phone I was actually trying to find out who this mysterious boyfriend was. When you caught me I panicked and made the whole thing up.” Lee said in a rush.

“And why the hell do you care who I’m seeing?” She frowned. 

However, the way Lee was looking at her soon made the frown disappear from her face. He looked shy, embarrassed almost. They had once again found themselves on the edge of that _something_ and Lucy wondered if this time it would end like it always did; with both of them feeling awkward and disappearing off to bed. Separately.

“Just wanted to see what his intentions were, that’s all. See if he was treating you right.” He said defensively.

“Lee, if I was going out with the bloody Pope you’d have something to say about it!” Lucy said.

“Course I would! The age gap would be almost as bad as when you were with Guy.” He retorted.

“The point is,” She lowered her voice, the next part of the sentence almost a whisper, “I want to know why you never like the guys I’m seeing, or even thinking about seeing.”

Lee took a deep breath. “Because… I… I mean they… the ones you pick just never treat you like you should be treated, okay?”

Once again he’d bottled out and changed his mind halfway through saying what needed to be said. 

“For God’s sake.” Lucy whispered. She pushed her hair back from her face and stood up. “I’m going to bed.” She told Lee.

Lee stood up and followed. He doesn’t know why he’s pushing this but he does. “Lucy, what’s wrong? I can tell you’re mad.”

She stops just before the step that leads to the dining table. “I’m not mad, just… frustrated.”

“That makes two of us.” Lee sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Well come here then.” Lucy replied, and then she grabbed his shirt with both hands, pulling them closer together and kissing him hard. 

Lee responded immediately, hands all over the place as he kissed her back with equal enthusiasm. Eventually the kiss – and their hands – slow down. Lucy’s came to rest on his shoulders while one of his rest on her waist, the other pressed flat against her back, holding her to him. Both of them just stare for a moment, wondering who’ll be the first to shatter the silence.

“Well, that was, erm-“ Lucy began, unsure of where to go from there.

“It wasn’t unexpected.” Lee said, putting a strand of her hair back in place.

“No it wasn’t.” She agreed.

They readjust themselves so they’re standing at arm’s length, still touching.

“What now though?” She asked.

And because Lee didn't have a reply, he just pulled her close and kissed her again. And again.

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally published in 2014 and is still (in July 2016) my only multi chapter work. Hopefully I can one day find the motivation to post that last chapter but I'm not going to lie, if I did decide to add the final piece, it'd be difficult to pick up over 2 years later, especially now with the 8th series filming. I can promise I definitely have more one shots on the way though!


End file.
